Shinji: "It's a message from the P.O.X."
Shino: "What does it say?"
Shinji's eyes scanned the letter, his expression turning grave.
Shinji: "It says several flocks of birds have been seen fleeing en masse from the eastern forests. They always nest there in this season. There are also reports of smaller animals migrating westward… away from the east. The Malius Heroes is actively investigating but has found nothing so far. They're requesting my presence tomorrow at 8 P.M. to assist.They want to have a big meeting"
Shizuku: "Then you have to help them. This sounds like a matter of national security."
Shinji: "I will. Our training tomorrow will be from 6 A.M. to 5 P.M. Don't be late. I must go now to confirm my assistance."
The group parted ways, but as they walked home, they saw it for themselves: dark, shifting clouds of birds blotting out the twilight sky, all streaming west. It was a silent, unsettling exodus—a direct contradiction to their textbooks, which stated this was the season the birds should be settling in the east.
• SHINO •
In his room, a textbook lay forgotten. He stared out the window at the unnatural twilight.
Shino (muttering): "If it were a normal monster, the Malius heroes would have found it by now… They found nothing. Does that mean-
• SHIZUKU •
At her desk, she wasn't studying. Her notes were lists: medical supplies, rations, emergency contacts. Her pen tapped a frantic rhythm.
Shizuku (thinking): "I need to prepare a first-aid kit tomorrow. Just in case. Please… let the Five Great Nations send aid if this escalates."
• AKAIMO •
Lying in bed, he watched the ceiling fan spin, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach.
Akaimo: "This doesn't feel right… It feels familiar…"
A memory flashed—
Akaimo (bolting upright): "WAIT! The last time nature acted this strangely around … was right before we encountered that Kaito! Something dangerous is coming. We have to train harder. We have to be ready to survive."
• JEISUKE •
He crushed an empty chip bag in his fist, his gaze fixed on the distant, darkened eastern horizon visible from his window.
Jeisuke: "Whatever it is… I'll defeat it. I'll use everything I have. I won't let it hurt our people. I won't."
• MOMOSHIMO •
In the moonlit backyard, he was already moving, his form a blur as he practiced defensive stances against imaginary foes.
Momoshimo (between breaths): "No time to waste. My shield must be stronger. It has to hold."
• SHINJI •
Alone in his study, he looked at the training schedule. The message from P.O.X. lay beside it, its official seal stark under the lamplight.
Shinji: "Tomorrow, I'll teach them that technique. They must learn quickly. I'll need to leave for the eastern front by dusk."